


Touch the Sky

by EonsofVictory



Series: Exploring Unknown Horizons [2]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horizon: Zero Dawn Fusion, Gen, One Shot, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, striders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26487511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EonsofVictory/pseuds/EonsofVictory
Summary: On the way to Meridian, Shouta decides to take a break to teach his Problem Child a new skill.
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku
Series: Exploring Unknown Horizons [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845460
Comments: 8
Kudos: 104





	Touch the Sky

Izuku is practically buzzing with excitement. It is getting more and more difficult for Shouta to command his attention as the kid’s eagerness fuels itself into a joyous tizzy.

“Hey. Look at me.” Izuku snaps his gaze away from the two Overridden Striders to focus on Shouta, but it isn’t even a second later he finds his attention drifting back to the two machines. “ _Ah!_ Eyes front.”

Izuku is too wound up, and his attention once more escapes. Shouta pulls Izuku aside, and turns him around so he can’t see the Striders. He kneels on one knee, and grabs Izuku’s shoulders to encourage the kid to meet his gaze.

“Ground rules, kid. Repeat them for me, or I won’t let you ride one by yourself,” Shouta demands, and just the thought of driving his own Strider makes Shouta’s Problem Child wiggle in exhilaration. Shouta knows that Izuku’s going to crash later from the excitement, and they’ll need to set up camp earlier than normal, but the Seeker knows it will be worth it from the sheer jubilation radiating off of Izuku in waves.

Shouta doesn’t think he’s ever seen the kid so happy.

Izuku bounces on his toes as he recites the rules Shouta’s been drilling into his head the entire morning. “I am to ride beside you the entire time and keep pace. I have to keep at least one hand on the guides while the Strider is in motion. I need to keep my eyes forward, because the Strider has a mind of it's own and will do it's own thing if not guided. Don’t cross rivers if you can’t see the bottom.” Immediately after, he whips around and races toward the Strider with the large scratch on it's hindquarters.

Shouta rises to his feet with a sigh. _This kid…_ Izuku uses a boulder to vault onto the back of his own Strider. He grips the guides tight and twists to stare at Shouta imploringly. Shouta walks as slow as he can manage without Izuku calling him out on it, just so he can smirk as Izuku begins to twitch with impatience. He has been begging Shouta for a full week to drive his own Strider, and now that Shouta has finally caved, Izuku’s patience is running thin.

“Shouta, _come on!_ ”

He laughs and picks up the pace. He mounts the Strider with practiced ease, and settles his weight properly for balance. “Okay, now--”

And Izuku is off. Shouta blinks in stunned silence, watching as his little Outcast kicks his Strider into top speed, tearing across the grassy field. Shouta sighs, before digging his heels into the stifle of his mount, urging it to chase after his kid. 

Izuku laughs, bright and carefree, pushing his Strider faster, faster, _faster!_ When the Strider can accelerate no more, Izuku sits up and throws his arms to the side, closing his eyes. The wind whips through his hair, snapping his cloak like a banner behind him, deafening him to the whir of metal underneath him. The sun is warm against his face, and Izuku opens his eyes to look up at the great blue sky, wisps of white on the horizon indicating clouds struggling to form over a desert. The Strider leaps over a rise and for a moment, Izuku feels weightless.

The machine crashes down, and the jostle nearly throws Izuku off the mount’s back. He leans back down and grabs the guides, pulling back to slow the Strider to a trot.

Izuku laughs brightly, adrenaline rushing through his veins, heart thudding under his ribs. “That was amazing!” He crows into the valley, throwing his arms up in triumph.

He turns at the thudding of metal hooves, and grins as Shouta pulls up beside him. The older Nora grabs the guides of Izuku’s Strider and pulls them both to a stop. He attempts to glare at Izuku, but his lips keep twitching up.

“I gave you four simple rules to follow, Problem Child, and you just broke three of them right off the bat.” Izuku hesitates, his smile falling a bit as Shouta glowers at him. He didn’t think Shouta would be that mad--Izuku had done crazier stunts than drive a Strider and high-speed with no hands. But Shouta surprises Izuku with a wide smile. “Well? How was your first run?”

Izuku’s grin brightens again. “It feels like flying.”

“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” Shouta kicks his Strider forward, and pulls Izuku’s Strider to a walk beside him. “Tell you what, kid. I’ll give you a free pass this one time. If you can follow my rules for the rest of the day, I’ll let you ride your own machine all the way to the Meridian. But if you break one, I won’t let you drive one for a moon, got it?”

Izuku nods vigorously. Shouta reaches out and scrubs the kids hair.

“Let’s go, then.” He kicks his Strider into gear, and Izuku is quick to follow.

Together, the two Nora fly across the valley, chasing the sun

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t forgotten about the series, my schedule just got really hectic so I haven’t had any time to plan out the sequel. This was a drabble that didn’t fit with the current narrative, but was cute enough that I thought it deserved its own fic.
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, or if I need to change the tags!


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